Vatican’s CTV marks 30 years of service to the Church

Vatican City, Oct 18, 2013 / 05:23 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican's leading television network commemorated the 30th anniversary of their foundation by hosting a symposium in Rome in which many experts in television broadcasting were present.

For the Vatican Television Center, this is “an age of full maturity,” Archbishop Claudio Celli told a group of journalists at the event, “it's not a time to look back on what we've done but it's a time to look ahead…to the challenges of the future.”

Archbishop Celli, who serves as President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, offered his thoughts to the journalists present at the Oct. 18 celebration.

Founded in 1983 by Bl. John Paul II, the Vatican Television Center specializes in the areas of live broadcasting, archiving, and production, aiming to spread the Gospel through the avenue of television with a special emphasis on the Pope's activities and those of the Apostolic See.

According to the Vatican's press announcement, the event “will be an opportunity for reflection on the budget and especially new communication challenges in a world in which the media are increasingly complex and interconnected.”

“It's undeniable that this is a moment of challenges for the Vatican Television Center and for the Council for Communications to spread the image of the Pope all over the world,” Archbishop Celli said.

However, Anna Maria Tarantola, president of Italy’s television and radio program “Radiotelevisione Italiana,” told journalists at the event that the work which CTV has accomplished in their thirty years of existence is “an important conquest…which represents the capacity that the CTV has been able to take advantage of through current media.”

The Vatican Television Center is mainly responsible for coverage of the Pope, which it distributes to other stations and agencies who request it, also giving assistance to foreign correspondents within the Vatican.

With an archive of close to 10,000 tapes and around 4,000 videos of Pope John Paul II since 1984, CTV has produced a variety of documentaries which explore the pontificate of Bl. John Paul II, as well as the Vatican and the different Basilica's around Rome.

During the commemorative event, a message from both Pope Francis and the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, were read aloud to the participants.

Archbishop Celli emphasized the increasing need and importance of the work which CTV does in television, stressing that “This Pope doesn't just have words, but he has gestures,” which need to be shared with the world.